Guiding means for forms for hosiery or the like



Sept. 19, 1967 B. w. CRUSE, JR

GUIDING MEANS FOR FORMS FOR HOSIERY OR THE LIKE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 18, 1966 p 1957 B. w. CRUSE; JR 3,342,391

GUIDING MEANS FOR FORMS FOR HOSIERY OR THE LIKE Filed Jan. 18, 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 4rro Mans Sept. 19, 1967 B. w. CRUSE, JR

GUIDING MEANS FOR FORMS FOR HOSIERY OR THE LIKE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 18, 1966 I NVENTOR J a U 0 5 0 p 3957 B. w. CRUSE, JR 3,342,391

THE LIKE GUIDING MEANS FOR FORMS FOR HOSIERY OP.

4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 18, 1966 INVENTOR HEW/V490 WILL/4M (#015, JR.

United States Patent Ofiice 3,342,391 GUIDING MEANS FOR FORMS FOR HOSIERY OR THE LIKE Bernard William Cruse, Jra, Monroe, N.C., assignor to Emle Mills Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of North Carolina Filed Jan. 18, 1966, Ser. No. 521,351 9 Claims. (Cl. 22376) ABSCT OF THE DISCLOSURE Guiding means for restraining inadvertent movement of flat hosiery forms when they are shifted laterally from an offset position into an upright position in series alignment while the series advance intermittently. The guiding means has a horizontally disposed disc located tangent to the form shifting path for form restraining contact, with the disc being mounted for free rotation so that the disc periphery will move tagentially with the shifting form to minimize damage to the hosiery carried on the form.

The present invention relates to guiding means for forms for hosiery or the like, and more particularly to means for guiding forms for hosiery or the like during successive shifting of the forms in a series such that fabric damaging contact of adjacent forms is avoided, thereby increasing the quality of production and accommodating increased production rates.

Hosiery and other fabric article are commonly processed on forms, such as hosiery boarding forms, arranged in a closely spaced, face-to-face series for compactness, and these forms are often mounted for successively shifting from a position offset from the series for convenient access for placing on or removing articles or for other processing to series alignment for further processing, but because of their flat construction and close spacing it is difiicult to shift the forms without inadvertent sidewise movement. As a result, forms sometimes strike and even cross over adjacent forms when they are shifted, causing damage to the articles thereon, especially when the forms carry relatively delicate articles such as hosiery.

By the present invention, means are provided for guiding the forms during transverse shifting to prevent fabric damaging contact of adjacent forms. Briefly described, this guiding means is disposed intermediate the offset and aligned form positions and has a form engaging portion tangent to the path of form shifting for engagement with the leading faces of the forms as they are shifted to restrain movement of each shifting form. toward the precedingly shifted adjacent form sufiiciently to avoid impact with the adjacent form. Preferably, the form engaging portion has an annular peripheral surface and is freely rotatable about an axis parallel to the path of form shifting for free tangential movement of the peripheral surface with the forms during engagement therewith to minimize damage to the articles on the forms during engagement, which is further minimized in the preferred embodiment by forming the form engaging portion of a soft yieldable material, enclosed by a fabric cover to reduce wear of the material.

In some instances, depending upon the manner in which the forms are mounted and shifted, the forms may inadvertently tend to rebound to their offset position as a repercussion of the shifting movement, creating a hazard to a worker, who may be in a position to be struck by the rebounding form, and disposing the form out of position for subsequent processing. To avoid such rebounding, the present invention provides for extension of the form engaging portion along the series of shifted 3,342,391 Patented Sept. 19, 1967 forms sufficiently to prevent inadvertent return of a shifted form to its offset position.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the guiding means is incorporated in an apparatus for processing hosiery on substantially flat forms that extend upwardly from pivot mountings and are arranged in a closely spaced, face-to-face series that advances intermittently with the forms progressing through a location at which they are successively pivoted to shift one form during each intermittent advance in an oblique path from a transversely offset position into general alignment with the preceding form of the series. The intermittent advance and the pivoting at the bottom of the form increase the tendency of the forms to strike adjacent forms and to rebound, but this tendency is overcome by the guiding means of the present invention being disposed intermediate the offset and aligned form positions with a form engaging portion in advance of and tangent to the oblique path of form shifting and above the pivot mounting for engagement with the leading faces of the forms as they are intermittently shifted and advanced, and with the form engaging portion also extending along the series of shifted forms to prevent rebound.

Preferably, the form engaging portion is in the form of a horizontal disk mounted for free rotation on a vertical shaft and having an annular peripheral vertical surface for guiding engagement and free tangential movement with the shifting forms, and being of a sufficient diameter for extension along the series of shifted forms to prevent rebound of the forms following shifting.

The features and advantages of the present invention are incorporated in the preferred embodiment described in detail hereinbelow and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation, partially diagrammatic, of an automatic hosiery heat-setting, scouring, dyeing, finishing and drying machine incorporating the form guiding means of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation of the machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan View of the end portion of the machine of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view of the form shifting and advancing mechanism of the machine of the preceding figures;

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the form shifting and advancing mechanism as viewed along line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an end elevation of the form shifting and advancing mechanism of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of the form guiding means of the preferred embodiment of the present invention for incorporation in the machine of the preceding figures; and

FIG. 8 is an enlarged vertical sectional view through the center of the form engaging disk of the guiding means of FIG. 7.

In the illustrated embodiment, the guiding means 10 of the present invention is shown incorporated in a commercial hosiery processing machine that automatically heat-sets, scours, dyes, finishes and dries hosiery while the hosiery are carried on forms. The particular machine illustrated is known as a Hydro-Set machine and is manufactured and sold by the Proctor Hydro-Set Company, a subsidiary of Proctor & Schwartz, Inc., of Philadelphia, Pa. As the machine itself, apart from the guiding means 10 of the present invention, is a conventional machine, no detailed description thereof is included herein except with regard to the application of the present invention.

As seen somewhat diagrammatically in FIGS. 1 and 2, this processing machine supports a plurality of vertical hosiery boarding forms F arranged in two circular series S mounted on two carriages C that slide on horizontal tracks T supported by the main frame A of the machine. The carriages C are driven simultaneously by a common drive motor M through a chain B for movement between alternate positions at each of which one of the carriages C is positioned in the center of the machine for enclosure of the series S of forms F thereon by a vertically movable bell-like pressure vessel V and the other carriage C is positioned at one end of the machine to dispose the forms F for removal of treated hosiery from the forms and mounting of untreated hosiery thereof while the hosiery on the forms F within the pressure vessel V are being treated by equipment within the vessel that successively heat-sets, scours, dyes, finishes and dries the hosiery during each processing cycle. At the end of each processing cycle the pressure vessel V is raised and the carriages C are moved along the tracks T to dispose the series S of forms F carrying the treated hosiery at the other end of the machine (as seen in dot-dash lines at the right in FIG. 1) and to dispose the other series S of forms F on which hosiery to be treated have been mounted beneath the raised pressure vessel V, following which the pressure vessel V is lowered and the hosiery therewithin treated while the previously treated hosiery are removed from the other series S of forms F and additional untreated hosiery are mounted thereon preparatory to treatment.

At the end positions, the series S of forms F are rotated to present the forms successively to a worker positioned at the end of the machine and who removes the treated hosiery during a first complete revolution of the advancing series S and places untreated hosiery on the forms during a second revolution, with the form advance being intermittent during the second revolution to allow the worker sufiicient time to place the hosiery on the forms and smooth the hosiery properly thereon.

As the forms are of a conventional substantially fiat construction and for compactness are arranged in closely spaced, face-to-face relation in the series, it is necessary to present the forms successively to the worker outwardly offset from series alignment for convenient access. This is done by progressively tilting the forms outwardly as they advance toward the boarding position of the worker and then shifting each form completely back into series alignment with the precedingly shifted forms during the first subsequent advance as it leaves the boarding position so that the following form will be readily accessible to the Worker.

This outward tilting and inward shifting of the forms F, as well as the circular advance, is accomplished by a composite drive D that is vertically movable between an inoperative lower position, at which it is below the path of the associated carriage C (as seen at the left in FIG. 1) to allow the carriage to move into and out of boarding position, and an operative upper position (as seen at the right in FIG. 1). The composite drive includes a tilting cam rod R, a rotating cam plate P, a drive motor E, and a pneumatic cushioning piston-cylinder mechanism G, all mounted on a suitable frame for vertical movement and for operating engagement with the base mounting H to which the lower ends of the forms are replaceably secured.

These base mountings H are pivoted in brackets I fixed to a ring I seated in the carriage C for circular movement with respect thereto. The mountings H abut the brackets I to position the forms F in their inwardly inclined series aligned position, and the bottom of each mounting is formed with 21 depending finger K that extends radially inwardly of the series S of forms for engagement under the aforementioned tilting cam rod R. Each mounting M is also formed with a cam plate follower pin N extending horizontally therefrom in the direction opposite the direction of form advance for form advancing and shifting engagement by the cam plate P.

The tilting cam rod R is mounted for lateral movement upon vertical movement of the composite drive D to come into engagement with the bottoms of the base mountings H above the fingers K and is shaped to extend upwardly and outwardly in the direction of form advance to tilt the forms progressively outward to an offset position and to hold them in tilted position by engagement of the fingers K. The tilting cam rod R terminates immediately beyond the boarding position of the forms to permit return shifting of the forms F into series alignment.

Return shifting of the forms F is accomplished by the cam plate P, which also advances the forms circularly. This cam plate P is mounted on a horizontal shaft 0 supported in bearings U and driven by the motor E, and has a portion that clears the mountings H and from which portion it extends for entry between adjacent mountings. The cam plate has a lead face P inclined with respect to the direction of rotation for engagement of the follower pin N to force the pin, mounting H and forms F to advance the equivalent of one form increment for each revolution of the cam plate P, and has a lip L extending along a portion of the periphery of the lead face P and slightly therefrom in the direction of form advance for engagement of the cam follower pins N of the mountings H. This lip L is shaped to cam the follower pins inwardly for shifting of the forms from offset boarding positions to series aligned positions, with one form being so shifted upon each cam rotation, during which the forms are advanced one form increment as aforesaid.

As each form F is shifted back into series alignment, it first seats on the enlarged extending end G of the air cushioning piston-cylinder mechanism G, which is vertically mounted for engagement with the bottom of the form mounting H being shifted to absorb the impact of the shifting form.

Operation of the drive motor E to rotate the cam plate P is suitably controlled selectively for continuous or intermittent operation. In intermittent operation the cam plate P will stop after each complete revolution during which the forms F will have been advanced one form increment and one form will have been shifted from its offset boarding position to a series aligned position in a path oblique to the series. As the forms F extend substantially from the mountings H, are normally relatively heavy and substantially flat, are shifted in an oblique path, and are shifted about a single pivot, they are difficult to control satisfactorily, particularly during intermittent operation, such that the form being shifted tends to move sidewise during shifting to the extent that it may strike the adjacent precedingly shifted form and in some'instances even cross over the adjacent form. This not only causes damage to the forms themselves, but also causes damage to the hosiery carried by the forms. Additionally, the heavy forms have a tendency to rebound from the shifting movement, despite the action of the cushioning mechanism G, causing possible injury to the worker, whose efliciency is reduced by the caution that must be paid to the moving form, and resulting in forms being positioned out of series alignment, which requires manual shifting by the worker to return the form to its proper position for further processing.

The guiding means 10 of the present invention is directed to eliminating both the problem of fabric damaging contact of adjacent forms during shifting and the problem of form rebound as a repereussion of shifting.

The machine described up to this point is a typical prior art machine and has been described generally to illustrate a typical example of a machine to which the present invention may be adopted to advantage, the invention being applicable as well to various other types of machines for similar purposes and to machines for other purposes where the aforesaid problems are inherent.

The guiding means 10 of the illustrated embodiment includes a form engaging portion in the form of a horizontally disposed disk 12 mounted on a vertical shaft 14 that depends from a cantilever supporting frame 16 attached to the machine main frame A. This cantilever supporting frame 16 comprises a horizontal bar 18 secured at its inner end to a cross piece A of the machine main frame A and extends outwardly to its outer end vertically above the position of the disk 12. The

bar 18 is reinforced by an inclined side bar 20 secured between the outer end of the horizontal bar 18 and the side of the machine main frame A, with a further supporting strut 22 secured to this side bar 20 and to the main frame A below the side bar securement.

Fixed to the outer end of the horizontal bar 18 is a shaft mounting means 24 to which a vertical cylindrical sleeve 26 is attached for downward extension therefrom. As seen in FIG. 8, this sleeve 26 has telescoped in its lower end the aforementioned vertical shaft 14, which extends therebelow for support of the form engaging disk 12 by a flanged screw threadably mounted in the end of the shaft 14 for support of a ball bearing ring 30 that in turn supports for free rotation an annular bearing adapter 32. The adapter 32 has an inner annular flange seated on the ball bearing ring 30 and a horizontal outer annular flange 36 offset downwardly from the inner flange 34 to form a shoulder 38 therebetween, which shoulder 38 and outer flange 36 form a mounting for the disk 12.

The disk 12 has an inner annular shoulder portion 40 seated on the adapter outer flange 36 and shoulder 38 and an annular outer portion 42 of increased thickness that extends downwardly beyond the adopter 32 and presents an annular peripheral vertical surface 44 for guiding engagement with the leading faces F of the shifting forms F.

Preferably, the disk 12 is formed of a soft, yieldable material, such as felt, so that it will not damage the hosiery on the forms, and this soft, yieldable material is protected against wear by a cover 46 of fabric, such as a discarded hosiery segment, that completely covers the form engaging peripheral surface 44.

The disk 12 is positioned above the level of the form mountings H and adjacent the toe ends of the for-ms F intermediate the offset and series aligned positions of the forms F, and tangent to the oblique path followed by the forms during the aforesaid simultaneous advancing and shifting on the side of the path adjacent the precedingly shifted forms for engagement with the leading faces F of the forms by the peripheral surface 44 of the disk 12 during form shifting to restrain movement of each form toward the precedingly shifted adjacent form sufficiently to avoid fabric damaging impact with the adjacent form.

The ball bearing mounting of the disk 12 permits free rotation thereof so that it can move tangentially with the engaged shifting form, minimizing the possibility of fabric damage.

The disk 12 is of a diameter suflicient for the disk to extend horizontally along the series of shifted forms in front of the forms to obstruct any tendency of the forms to rebound to the offset boarding position as a repercussion of the shifting movement, thereby avoiding injury to the worker and assuring proper series alignment positioning of the shifted forms for subsequent processing. The diameter is also such that the center of the disk 12 is disposed beyond the initial shifted form position so that the vertical shaft 14 will be out of the path of a rebounding form, the toe end of which might otherwise strike the sleeve 26 during rebounding.

The disk 12 is adjustably positioned both vertically and horizontally for proper tangential alignment with the oblique form shifting path and for optimum guiding 0f the particular form size being utilized. Vertical adjustment is provided by the telescoping of the shaft 14 in the sleeve 26, to which it is fixed in an adjusted position by a set screw 48. Horizontal adjustment is obtained at the aforementioned shaft mounting means 24, which includes a fixed horizontal plate 50 having a pair of elongated parallel slots 52 diagonally offset for silding adjustment parallel to the slots 52 of an intermediate plate 54 that has a first pair of threaded bores 56 aligned with these slots 52, with screws 58 extending through the slots 52 into the first pair of threaded bores 56 to secure the intermediate plate 54 to the fixed plate 50 in an adjusted position. The intermediate plate 54 has a second pair of threaded bores 60 aligned with a pair of elongated parallel slots 62 diagonally offset in a lower adjustable plate 64 for slidable adjustment of the adjustable plate 64 with respect to the intermediate plate 54 in a direction parallel to the slots 62, with screws 66 extending through the slots 62 into the second pair of threaded bores 60 to secure the adjustable plate 64 to the intermediate plate 54 in an adjusted position. The slots 62 in the adjustable plate 64 are perpendicular to the slots 52 in the fixed plate 50 to permit universal adjustment of the adjustable plate 64, to the underside of which is secured the aforementioned sleeve 26 in which the shaft 14 is adjustably secured.

In operation, the disk 12 is mounted at a desired vertically and horizontally adjusted position for optimum results and functions during continued operation of the machine without further attention to guide the shifting forms to prevent inadvertent fabric damaging contact of adjacent forms and to prevent rebounding of forms as a repercussion of shifting. As a result, the quality of production is increased due to the reduction in damage to hosiery during operation, and higher operating speeds are possible due to the fact that the worker does not have to waste time repositioning rebounded forms and is not bothered by the hazard of rebounding forms.

It should be understood that the specific construction of the guiding means described in detail hereinabove with reference to the illustrated embodiment is only one example of the guiding means of the present invention, and that various modifications and alternative constructions could be made within the scope of the present invention, which is not intended to be limited by the foregoing description and illustration or otherwise, except as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus for processing hosiery or the like on substantially fiat forms arranged in a closely spaced, face-to-face series with the forms successively shiftable from a transversely offset position into general alignment With the preceding form of the series, means mounted on said apparatus for guiding said forms during transverse shifting to prevent fabric damaging contact of adjacent forms, said guiding means being disposed intermediate the offset and aligned form positions and having a form engaging portion tangent to the path of form shifting for engagement with the leading faces of the forms as they are shifted to restrain movement of each shifting form toward the precedingly shifted adjacent form sufficiently to avoid impact with the adjacent form said form engaging portion having an annular peripheral surface disposed tangent to the path of form shifting and being freely rotatable about an axis parallel to the path of form shifting for free tangential movement of said surface with the forms during form engagement.

2. In an apparatus for processing hosiery or the like, guiding means according to claim 1 and characterized further in that said form engaging portion is formed of soft yieldable material to avoid damage to the hosiery during form engagement.

3. In an apparatus for processing hosiery or the like, guiding means according to claim 2 and characterized further by a fabric cover enclosing said annular peripheral surface to reduce Wear of said soft yieldable material without damaging the hosiery on the forms during engagement therewith.

4. In an-apparatus for processing hosiery or the like on substantially flat forms that extend upwardly from pivot mountings and are arranged in a closely spaced, face-to-face series that advances intermittently with the forms progressing through a location at which they are successively pivoted to shift one form during each intermittent advance in an oblique path from a transversely offset position into general alignment with the preceding form of the series, means mounted on said apparatus for guiding said forms during transverse shifting to prevent fabric damaging contact of adjacent forms, said guiding means being disposed intermediate the offset and aligned form positions at said location and having a form engaging portion in advance of and tangent to said oblique path and spaced above said pivot mountings for engagement with the leading faces of the forms as they are intermittently shifted and advanced at said location to restrain movement of each form toward the precedingly shifted adjacent form to avoid impact with the adjacent form.

5. In an apparatus for processing hosiery or the like, guiding means according to claim 6 and characterized further in that said form engaging portion additionally extends along the series of shifted forms sufficiently to prevent inadvertent return of a shifted form to its offset position at the end of its shifting advance.

6. In an apparatus for processing hosiery or the like, guiding means according to claim 3 and characterized further by a vertical mounting shaft mounted on said apparatus and in that said form engaging portion is a horizontal disk mounted on said shaft for free rotation and having an annular peripheral vertical surface disposed tangent to said oblique for-m path for guiding engagement and free tangential movement therewith, the diameter of said disk being sufiicient for extension of the disk to prevent rebound of the forms following shifting.

7. In an apparatus for processing hosiery or the like, guiding means according to claim 6 and characterized further in that said shaft is ad-justably mounted horizontally and is vertically extendible for adjustment of the position of the disk with respect to the advancing and shifting forms.

8. In an apparatus for processing hosiery or the like, guiding means according to claim 6 and characterized further in that the periphery of said disk is formed of soft yieldable material to avoid damage to the hosiery during form engagement.

9. In an apparatus for processing hosiery or the like, guiding means according to claim 8 and characterized further by a fabric cover enclosing said disk periphery to reduce wear of said soft yieldable material without damaging the hosiery on the forms during engagement therewith.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 10/ 1950 Astphan 223- 16 3/1955 Scott et al. 22376 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,066,172 10/1959 Germany.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,342,391 September 19, 1967 Bernard William Cruse, Jr.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 6, line 58, for "form" first occurrence, read column 7, line 22, for the claim reference form, numeral "6" read 4 line 28, for the claim reference numeral "3" read -5 Signed and sealed this 8th day of October 1968.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD J. BRENNER Edward M. Fletcher, Jr.

Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer 

1. IN AN APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING HOSIERY OR THE LIKE ON SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT FORMS ARRANGED IN A CLOSELY SPACED, FACE-TO-FACE SERIES WITH THE FORMS SUCCESSIVELY SHIFTABLE FROM A TRANSVERSELY OFFSET POSITION INTO GENERAL ALIGNMENT WITH THE PRECEDING FORM OF THE SERIES, MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID APPARATUS FOR GUIDING SAID FORMS DURING TRANSVERSE SHIFTING TO PREVENT FABRIC DAMAGING CONTACT OF ADJACENT FORMS, SAID GUIDING MEANS BEING DISPOSED INTERMEDIATE THE OFFSET AND ALIGNED FORM POSITIONS INHAVING A FORM ENGAGING PORTION TANGENT TO THE PATH OF FORM SHIFTING FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE LEADING FACES OF THE FORMS AS THEY ARE SHIFTED TO RESTRAIN MOVEMENT OF EACH SHIFTING FORM TOWARD THE PRECEDINGLY SHIFTED ADJACENT FORM SUFFICIENTLY TO AVOID IMPACT WITH THE ADJACENT FORM SAID FORM ENGAGING PORTION HAVING AN ANNULAR PERIPHERAL SURFACE DISPOSED TANGENT TO THE PATH OF FORM SHIFTING AND BEING FREELY ROTATABLE ABOUT AN AXIS PARALLEL TO THE PATH OF FORM SHIFTING FOR FREE TANGENTIAL MOVEMENT OF SAID SURFACE WITH THE FORMS DURING FORM ENGAGEMENT. 